It is known to provide so-called flow-wrap packaging which consists of a flexible container comprising front and back panels, side panels, and sealed at either end, normally with crimping or embossing to provide patterned sealing portions.
In general, this type of flow-wrap packaging is manufactured by horizontal or vertical form, fill and seal processes. In horizontal fill, form and seal processes flexible packaging film is run through machinery which folds the material around a product and then clamps and seals the ends of the folded material followed by cutting, to provide a sealed packaging. Such packaging can be run through appropriate machinery relatively rapidly, in order to produce many filled packages per minute.
Conversely, there are many types of cartonboard-based packaging which are formed from cartonboard blanks, and folded to provide a packaging container which may then be sealed by appropriate means. Examples of cartonboard cardboard packaging include standard cartonboard boxes, shelf-ready packaging and the like for example.
Up to now, it has not been thought possible to provide cartonboard-based packaging which mimics the shape and appearance of flow-wrapped packaging made by standard horizontal or vertical form, fill and seal processes.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a cartonboard-packaging which mimics the shape and appearance of standard flow-wrap packaging, whilst being economical and simple to produce from cartonboard blanks, preferably using standard cartonboard packaging apparatus.
In addition, it would be advantageous to provide cartonboard packaging in which the crimped or patterned end fin portions of flow-wrapped packaging are present, in order to provide a generally authentic flow-wrap look to the cartonboard packaging, and which are easy to open despite the increased thickness of the material compared to standard film seals.
It is therefore an aim of embodiments of the present invention to overcome or mitigate at least some of the problems of the prior art.